J.R. Smith Explains Why Kyrie Irving Is the ‘Most Gifted’ Teammate He’s Ever Had

Game respects game.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith and guard Kyrie Irving greet each other. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

J.R. Smith played with a lot of NBA greats over the course of his 16 seasons in the league.

Smith was quite the journeyman, playing for five different franchises over his career, but he is undoubtedly remembered best for his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to help lead the Cavs to their first title in franchise history.

Speaking as a guest on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast 7PM in Brooklyn, Smith broke down why Irving stood out as the “most gifted” of his teammates.

“I think Kyrie is the only person I’ve seen that can score at every level with either hand,” Smith explained. “He can shoot left-handed. I’ve seen him shoot left-hand middies. He’s the best non-dominant and dominant finisher I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s not even close. His imagination with getting to spots. The imagination with spin on the backboard, I don’t know, man.”

"Kyrie's the only player I've ever seen that can score at every level with either hand."

JR easily stamped Kyrie Irving as his most gifted teammate because of his mind-boggling moves 😳 pic.twitter.com/MLfNymn6z3

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) May 12, 2025

Irving is undeniably one of the most impressive finishers of his generation, but even with that fact established, Smith’s words come as high praise, especially given the fact that Smith also played alongside Anthony while on the Knicks.

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